I have four Kasa HS103 smart plugs.
I had one of them installed a while ago, and I think, in a fit of minimalism and concern over resource use, replaced the device with a Z-wave plug, and deleted the app.
Thinking of revisiting Kasa.
Should I? Are the plusses and minuses spelled out anywhere?
Thanks.
I'd say it's mostly personal preference. They are, of course Wi-Fi, which gives a few differences or perhaps advantages:
- no concerns over Z-Wave or Zigbee range, only Wi-Fi (I'd guess this tends to reach farther for most people...)
- they have their own app you can use outside of Hubitat (I've heard of some people using them as a way to remotely restart their hub--after a graceful shutdown, of course)
- they offer direct integration into Alexa/Google Assistant and (with some models) HomeKit directly
... among other differences I may not be thinking of. Some people may have reasons to prefer something or other for one of these reasons.
Downsides include:
- needing an intergation app on Hubitat, unlike Z-Wave or Zigbee and some LAN devices usable directly
- the need for polling to see phyiscal changes (or any not made from the hub, really); excessive polling could cause hub resource problems
- the fact that I think all API access is reverse-engineered/unofficial -- though TPLink does not seem to be hostile towards these efforts, and some of their newer devices support Matter ... so, if that ever takes off, it may offer more integration options without worrying about most of these concerns
Ultimately, not too different than decisions you might make when considering other devices: protcol, price (honestly the main reason I'd consider them...), appearance, etc., for the most part, I think.
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My Kasa bulbs will no longer work if I block Internet access to them from my router. They are controlled by the Hubitat api so I have no idea what changed. When I get time time ill try to diagnose the problem but will likely throw them out. I am completely burnt out on smart home stuff and it seems to be getting worse not better as the marched on.
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Another plus for them is you can create a schedule directly on them. I have that setup on my internet router to automatically power back on every 4 hours, in case I do something really stupid and accidentally remotely power it off when I meant to power off something else. That way, worse case is aIl have to do is wait 4 hours to get access back.
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I use the wi-fi Kasa outdoor plugs, KP400 and KP401 for seasonal lighting. Unlike Zigbee or Z-wave there are no concerns with the mesh when they are removed. My previous "Holiday" plugs have since been repurposed for full time use indoors.
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